Please check the roster for the next few weeks and advise Vicki Kersey and David Ungar if you will be away that week. Meeting jobs will be allocated via email before the meeting.
Nick Dempsey, representing the Perry Cross Spinal Research
Foundation, shared his personal story of becoming a C4 quadriplegic after a diving accident on his 21st birthday. He detailed his recovery journey, including a nine-hour surgery and eight months of rehabilitation. The foundation is conducting a world-first trial using nasal cells to bridge spinal cord injuries, aiming to restore movement. The trial, funded by community support, will initially involve paraplegics, with plans to expand to higher-level injuries. The foundation's mission is to cure paralysis, supported by research at Griffith University here on the Gold Coast.
THIS WEEK'S GUEST SPEAKER
Wendy O'Brien and Pheap from Heartprint will be speaking to us this week. Heartprint is a registered Australian charity and Cambodian NGO based in Siem Reap, Cambodia. They deliver community-led initiatives that help lift families out of systemic poverty through tailored, holistic support. Operating from their community centre, they respond flexibly to each family’s needs. Through fundraising and donations, they provide housing, sanitation, and water wells. Their social programs include educational workshops, life skills training, counselling, youth mentorship, disability inclusion, medical outreach, work opportunities, and university scholarships. They create opportunity, not dependency.
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WHAT'S THE BUZZ THIS WEEK?
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
May 30th - Bunnings BBQ - Sign up here
June 19th - Bunnings BBQ - Sign up here - Please note these are two hour shifts
The Club remains in a very healthy financial position, with extra funds allowing us to top up our annual contributions to the Rotary Foundation and End Polio Now.
Thanks to district budget reductions, membership fees for next year will be $285, and a new $50 joining fee for new members will include a club shirt and cap so everyone is Rotary-branded from day one.
Pride of Work Awards – Tonight
Final plans are in place for the Pride of Work Awards tonight, with 54 attendees expected and six nominees acknowledged on the night. The Currumbin RSL has again waived room hire, keeping costs down. The event will feature local representatives including Federal Member Leon Rebello, State Member Herman Vorster, and Local Councillor Gail O’Neil, with Carey photographing the evening and Lauren Bunney Music providing entertainment.
Changeover Dinner – Tickets Subsidised
The Changeover Dinner will be held on Friday 26 June, with bookings now open on TryBooking.
Members: $48 (subsidised) – includes two courses and a drink on arrival
Guests: $58 – covers venue cost (no profit to the Club)
Members who already purchased at the old price will be reimbursed the difference. The evening will celebrate the year’s achievements and see the collar formally handed over to Vicki Kersey.
Community Service and Partnerships
Volunteers recently helped move a large quantity of furniture from Miami High, with the school very appreciative. Some items remain, including around 30 boxes of books, which will be cleared in coming weeks.
A productive meeting was also held with the Principal of Marymount College to explore ongoing collaboration between the Club and the school, including a future guest speaking opportunity.
Barbecues and Thanks
There are a couple of barbecues over the next five weeks and we are seeking additional volunteers for upcoming dates, including Saturday 30th, and 19 June (signup links above).
Members are also asked to return trophies and awards from last year’s Changeover so names can be engraved. Sincere thanks were extended to everyone contributing to events, service projects, and fundraising, reflecting a year of strong teamwork and community impact.
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Club runner information
If you do not have your Club Runner login information, you can go to the Club Runner website, scroll down a little and click on “Send me a Magic Link”. Enter the email address you gave to the club, and you will receive an email. Click on the login button and then select the club website. Go to ‘My Clubrunner’ and then ‘My Profile’. The ‘Edit’ button is at the top right and you can add/change any information on your profile. Click ‘Save’ and you’re done!
If you’re really feeling techy, you can download the Club Runner app.
If you would like any help resetting your password, or downloading the app to your phone, please let us know. There are a few members who can assist you.
We are looking to use Club Runner more for information and rosters, so it would be great if everyone is able to log in.
The Buzz Box _______________________________________
Fabulous news from Kath about Luci’s dad now out of the ICU! He is in isolation and having another surgery tomorrow but has been able to communicate by writing. If you would like to contact Luci, her email address is roger.ero.sjn@gmail.com
What a Day!
May 19th Plant Something Day
May 21 World Day for Cultural Diversity
May 23 National Drink with Chickens Day
Famous Rotarians
Prince Axel of Denmark, Prince of Denmark and businessman, Rotary Club of Copenhagen
Just Sayin'
“I’m great at multitasking—I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once.”
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GOT SOMETHING TO SHARE?
If you, or someone you know, would like to be a guest speaker at one of our meetings, please let Annette Jensen know.
If you have any interesting items to add to this newsletter, please email Vicki (vickikersey@gmail.com).
FEEDBACK
If you would like to make any suggestions or give feedback about the club, you can do so anonymously via this link.
Crossing borders toward peace: My journey as a Rotary Peace Fellow
By Rona Karimi, 2023-25 Rotary Peace Fellow at International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
My experiences as a refugee motivated me to seek a Rotary Peace Fellowship. I’ve been labeled in many ways: internally displaced person, refugee in Pakistan, immigrant in Canada, and now a student in Japan. But my identity has always been simple: I am Rona, a woman from Kabul, Afghanistan.
When floodwaters surged through Western Queensland last year, they didn’t just wash through streets – they tore through lives, homes and the fragile stability of remote communities. Isolated by distance and stretched thin by limited resources, towns already battling the outback’s harsh conditions suddenly found themselves fighting a disaster far bigger than anything they could face alone.
But help came – fast, coordinated and deeply compassionate.
Portable kidney failure treatment will keep patients in the remote communities they love.
There are two main ways to reach the community of Natuashish in Labrador. Travellers can go by plane or, in the summer months, take a boat up the coast. No reliable roads connect the subarctic Innu community of about 1,000 residents with more populated towns to its south.
Frequent transportation delays and high prices for plane tickets also are strains on those trying to make the journey.
Nick Dempsey, representing the Perry Cross Spinal Research